Escarole & Meatball Soup

A steaming bowl of this escarole soup replete with meatballs is exactly what I imagine someone suffering the cold in the midwest would be hankering for. Here in sunny Southern California, where it smacks of Spring, it fits the bill quite nicely too. Hot and hearty, but not overly thick and heavy, this may just be the soup to carry you through all of 2012.

Thank you, Dana Bowen for sharing this terrific recipe with Saveur readers this December. An equally heartfelt thank you to Rita and Joseph for pointing it out to me. Rita declared it a winner and I couldn't agree more. The escarole soup contains two of my favorite things, meatballs and escarole! Add a mound of comforting rice, plenty of sweet onions, and a healthy dose of ground pepper and you've got a soup that is sure to satisfy.

The soup is a snap to make as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Ground beef under your nails and in between your fingers is a certainty. For me rolling out meatballs is soothing work, carrying the promise of something delicious and nourishing just around the bend. The smell of the ingredients heaped up in the bowl was pure Italy, familiar and exotic all at once.

Just a couple of notes. I used fresh bread crumbs that I whizzed up in the food processor from a day old loaf of ciabatta. The recipe calls for seasoned bread crumbs, and I'm guessing that you can buy pre-seasoned breadcrumbs in a grocery store, but I didn't bother with that. I did not find the meatballs lacking due to this. I also don't own any Italian seasoning. I simply mixed together a tablespoon of oregano, basil, thyme, and marjoram. This did the trick, also without any noticeable want.

We supped on the escarole soup over the course of a few days. The soup is ever tasty the second and third go-round, but the meatballs do tend to fall apart (not necessarily a bad thing). Serve this to the young and old alike! A and I were mighty pleased and Fe. scarfed down the greens and meatballs like they were going out of style. A definite hit all round.

Dana Bowen's Escarole Soup

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more

1/2 cup grated pecorino

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, plus 1, minced

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced, plus 1, minced

1 small bunch parsley, minced

1 egg lightly beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 large heads escarole, cored and cut in to 2-inch pieces

8 cups chicken stock

Cooked white rice, for serving

Mix beef, bread crumbs, parmesan, pecorino, 1/4 cup oil, seasoning, minced garlic and onion, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Form into 30, 1 1/2-inch meatballs; chill.

Heat remaining oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and onions; cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add escarole; cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Add stock; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add meatballs; cook until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked rice; top with more parmesan and black pepper.

Serves 8

Seared Lamb Chops with Preserved Lemon, Artichoke Hearts, Fresh Mint and Feta

After willingly preparing ample stashes of preserved lemons, some folks have wondered what else to do with their bounty. I've mentioned sautéed lima beans and suggested jazzing up greens with garlic. A bracing salad is always a super idea, but people are clamoring for more.

I figured I'd go back to the first time that I remember cooking with preserved lemons. I've eaten plenty of Moroccan food that features their salty tartness, but it wasn't until 2007 that I ever actually cooked with them.

It's all thanks to Nancy Silverton's (of La Brea Bakery, Campanile, Mozza fame) funny little book, A Twist of the Wrist. The subtitle is Quick Flavorful Meals With Ingredients From Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes. That entire concept would normally have me running the other direction thinking of some phony-baloney, fly-by-night, Food Network star, but this book is different. Considering all the other wonderful things Silverton has brought to our lives here in Los Angeles, it really isn't much of a surprise.

Silverton focuses on high quality packaged or jarred ingredients and creates meals that even super-foodies will find delicious. A Twist of the Wrist was a huge help when I was working full-time and it still comes in handy when I've been running around with Fe. all day and have not a clue what to cook for supper.

Silverton teaches you how to intelligently stock your pantry for just such occasions. She also asks other chefs like Suzanne Goin, Jonathan Waxman, Mario Batali, and Ruth Reichl to contribute their quick and easy favorites. Dishes like Boneless Pork Chops with Creamy Polenta and Fennel Pollen or Egg Papardelle with Bagna Cauda, Wilted Radicchio and an Olive Oil-Fried Egg do not disappoint.

The recipe that I return to frequently is her Seared Lamb Chops with Preserved Lemon, Artichoke Hearts, and Fresh Mint. It's impressive. I've made it for guests and I've served it for just A. and myself, eating the rest the next day. Everyone likes it.

The flavors are unusual and compelling. The saltiness of the lemon and feta is offset well by the bright and refreshing mint. I tend to go a bit heavier with the herb, usually using a few tablespoons. And when there are plenty of preserved lemons in the fridge, I'll often up the amount to at least half of one.

The lamb gets a coat from a tin of purchased lamb rub. The artichokes hearts are jarred. I've splurged every time I've made this dish, springing for the long stemmed numbers in the deli case at Whole Foods. To me they taste so much better and look far prettier. However your standard marinated artichoke hearts will work well here too.

The dish comes together quickly, although it does require a little bit of concentration. At least, I always find that it does. I like to have my mise en place ready to go. The chops cook quickly because what I believe Silverton calls for is individual rib chops. That is what I used last time and it works. Perhaps slightly more successful, if you really like medium rare chops that have a good sear on them is the double-bone rib chops. Using the double chops of course adds to the cooking time. Not as fast!

After searing the chops, garlic is added and the pan is deglazed with the wine. The artichokes, broth, and lemon are added and cooked together for mere minutes to meld the flavors. The resulting sauce is a bit of a stunner -- tangy, salty, meaty -- dramatically savory.

The presentation is handsome, verging on restaurant good-looks, if you take care with your plating. The sprinkling of mint and feta over the lamb chops, while successfully rounding out the flavors also adds a lot to the visual beauty of the dish.

As Silverton suggests with ingredients like lamb, mint and artichokes, this is a perfect dish for spring. It is also rather perfect for digging deeper into your jar of preserved lemons.

Seared Lamb Chops with Preserved Lemon, Artichoke Hearts, Fresh Mint, and Feta

3 tablespoons lamb rub

16 bone-in lamb chops (about 2 pounds)

1/4 cup canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)

3 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup vegetable broth

4 whole marinated artichoke hearts, quartered (from the deli case or 2 6 1/2-ounce jars)

1/4 preserved lemon, pulp discarded and skin finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)

Kosher salt

Lemon for squeezing over the lamb

2 ounces feta (preferably the French brand, Valbreso)

High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Massage the rub into both sides of the chops.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a large skillet over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until almost smoking. The oil should be fragrant at this point. Add half of the chops, reducing the heat to medium. Cook for approximately 2 minutes. Turn the chops over and cook them for 30 seconds for rare or 1 minute for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil and cook the remaining chops in the same manner.

Drain all but 1 teaspoon of the oil from the pan. Add the garlic and swirl the pan away from the heat for about 1 1/2 minutes. Bring the heat to high and add the wine. Simmer for about 2 1/2 minutes, stirring, until the wine has nearly completely evaporated. Add the broth, artichoke hearts and preserved lemon, stir and simmer until the sauce is reduced by a third, approximately 2 minutes. Season with kosher salt, if needed.

Spoon the artichokes and sauce onto four plates. Place four chops onto each plate, fanning them out. Drizzle with the juices from the plate. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the chops. Crumble the feta over and drizzle them with the olive oil. Sprinkle the mint over the dish.

Serves 4

Risi e Bisi

Risotto is very good, but risi e bisi is better.

At least to me it is. I'm a big sucker for the soupiness.

Risi e bisi is a classic Venetian dish that typically celebrates spring and with it the arrival of fresh peas. Now, I do love fresh peas. I do. However I am pretty much on board with #21 of the last Saveur 100 issue. Frozen peas. Fergus Henderson quips: a wise old man once told me: Wait till peas are in season, and then use frozen.

Oh, the convenience! There is always a bag or two in my freezer, ready to add to Fe's dinner or to toss into pasta or to simmer with mint, olive oil, and thinly sliced onions (thank you, Nigel Slater!). They easily cook up in five minutes. And for the parents of toddlers reading this, I'll pass on a tip that my dear friend Sharmon shared with me. Give the frozen peas to your kiddos as a healthy snack. Yes, frozen. Taste them. They're good and the kids love to munch on them!

It's February. Why bother waiting until the spring, when I can enjoy a soothing supper of risi e bisi now, using perfectly delicious frozen peas?

Risi e bisi is basically a casual souped up version of risotto. There is none of the heavy duty stirring involved. And it takes much less time to prepare. You'll need to use short-grain rice like arborio or carnaroli, and naturally the better your parmigiano-reggiano and stock are the more divine your results will be.

I made risi e bisi on Tuesday night. I was pleased because A. really seemed to like it, judging by his comment that he never expected beige food to taste so good. Ah, a girl could really get used to praise like that.

We're not socked in by winter snows here in Los Angeles, but the nights do get cool -- by our standards -- and this dish provides perfect comfort for taking the chill off. It is a little bit sweet from the peas and onions and just the right bit salty thanks to the parmigiano-reggiano. I love a healthy grinding of pepper over the top.

Risi e Bisi

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups frozen peas, mostly defrosted if possible

Salt & freshly ground pepper

6 cups chicken stock or vegetable if you prefer

1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Heat the stock in a pan, and keep at the ready.

Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook stirring occasionally until soft and faintly starting to color. Season with salt.

Add the rice, stirring until coated with the olive oil and onions. Then add 5 cups of the hot stock. Stir and cover, lowering the heat so the stock is gently bubbling. Cook the rice, stirring every so often, for approximately 15 minutes. Tip in the peas and stir. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until peas and rice are just tender.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add the remaining stock. Stir in the butter and half of the parmigiano-reggiano. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve with the remaining cheese sprinkled over the top.

Serves 6